Accounting degree completion programs give you a way to finish online while building on earlier business study. Compare how your transfer credits fit the accounting sequence: introductory accounting, intermediate courses, tax, auditing and final research work do different jobs in the degree.
Accounting Degree Completion Programs by Course Sequence
The online bachelor’s options below accept transfer applicants and publish specific curriculum requirements. Compare their advanced accounting work, credit rules and final projects, then use each school’s evaluation of your transcript to decide which route fits.
Start with the accounting requirements your earlier courses actually replace. Franklin and TESU identify intermediate accounting study, while UMGC and Franklin make advanced capstone or research work explicit. A useful comparison shows where you enter that sequence, which accounting courses remain, and which credits fit general education or electives. Keep the degree total and university-credit requirements alongside that course plan.
This shortlist includes 20 online degree offerings at 20 colleges. Compare transfer credit policies with the requirements of your chosen major. Check each program’s schedule and any laboratory, fieldwork, or campus commitments before enrolling.
How we select programs
These options provide a defined accounting major, online study and a documented transfer route. The comparison highlights advanced coursework, final requirements and practical credit boundaries. Your individual evaluation determines how much of the selected degree remains.
Submit official transcripts from every college for the university’s course evaluation.
The programs, with context
Online Accounting Degree Programs and Transfer Credit Requirements
For Returning Students Interested in Fraud Examination
Southern New Hampshire University
BS in Accounting
OnlineTransfer entry route
SNHU gives a returning accounting student a clear choice within the major: study the general accounting curriculum or add the Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination concentration. The latter covers fraudulent financial statements and the legal and interviewing sides of investigations, alongside accounting study. A transfer review can place earlier general education and business courses within the 120-credit plan. Eight-week terms also give you a specific course calendar to compare with busy periods at work.
Before you apply: The same institutional page describes a separate Accounting and Finance degree. Request the evaluation for the Accounting BS and your chosen concentration so the required courses match your goal.
Where You Start
Apply online, complete the required attestation form, and submit a transcript request for each previous college. Confirm any additional requirements for your program.
Transfer Credits
Up to 90 credits may transfer; at least 30 must be earned at SNHU.
UMGC connects the familiar accounting sequence with the tools used to examine financial information. Its curriculum includes accounting information systems, cost accounting with data analytics, taxation and an Advanced Accounting Capstone. For someone bringing introductory accounting from a community college, that makes the next conversation concrete: which earlier courses satisfy prerequisites, and which analytical and upper-level requirements remain? The online offering supports this progression without requiring you to choose one of the university’s separate hybrid classes.
Before you apply: The published transfer limit differs for two-year and four-year coursework. Ask for a major-specific evaluation, including the courses you must complete at UMGC.
Franklin is a useful comparison when you want the remaining degree to include more than introductory business coverage. The accounting sequence includes two intermediate accounting courses, two federal income tax courses and auditing. Accounting Research and Analysis brings standards research, written analysis and presentations into the final work. That course mix gives returning students specific syllabi to request when asking whether an earlier accounting class meets the current requirement or belongs elsewhere in the degree.
Before you apply: The degree totals 124 semester credits, with up to 94 transferable credits. Keep both numbers in view when comparing it with a 120-credit program.
For Accounting Coursework on a Monthly-Start Calendar
Colorado State University Global
BS in Accounting
OnlineTransfer entry route
CSU Global combines an accounting sequence with eight-week asynchronous courses and monthly starts. The academic emphasis includes financial reporting, intermediate accounting and the measurement of assets and liabilities, followed by a research and analysis capstone. For a student returning after a break, the practical comparison is between that required sequence and the accounting work already completed. The school’s transcript evaluation can show where earlier courses fit before you choose a start month or add a specialization.
Before you apply: The overall transfer ceiling is 90 credits, while the community-college ceiling is 64. The capstone follows the required core work, so a high accepted-credit total does not settle course order.
Where You Start
Standard transfer admission: 24 semester credits, 2.30 GPA and additional experience criteria; provisional routes are available.
Transfer Credits
Up to 90 credits overall, including no more than 64 community-college credits.
TESU organizes accounting as an area of study inside a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Its 18-credit accounting area includes intermediate accounting and room for subjects such as taxation, auditing or cost accounting. That structure is useful to examine if your transcript already contains a broad business core and several accounting courses from different schools. The evaluation needs to identify the academic level and content of each course, then place it within the area, business requirements or electives.
Before you apply: The published 90-credit community-college policy concerns the source of credit. It does not make every lower-level accounting course eligible for the accounting area.
Purdue Global joins accounting preparation with analysis of financial data. You can choose a concentration in business intelligence or follow a more traditional tax, public or managerial accountancy direction. For returning students, the useful comparison is how earlier business and accounting courses fit that specific concentration, including the quarter-credit system used for this degree.
Before you apply: Review the education requirements for your intended professional credential before selecting a concentration or accounting electives.
Where You Start
Applicants need a high school diploma or equivalent; earlier eligible coursework can be assessed for credit.
More About the Curriculum +
Degree Total:180 quarter credits across 34 courses.
Accounting Study:Courses include federal tax, managerial accounting and finance.
Concentrations:Options include business intelligence, forensic accountancy, managerial accountancy, public accountancy and tax accountancy.
Penn State makes admission to its accounting major a specific checkpoint. Direct-transfer students need qualifying entrance courses as well as the required credit total and GPA. Once admitted, the major progresses through reporting, cost, tax and audit study. That structure suits a comparison centered on which prerequisites you have finished and when you can begin the advanced sequence.
Before you apply: Have each entrance course reviewed individually. A large transfer-credit total alone does not establish eligibility for the accounting major.
Where You Start
Direct-transfer applicants need at least 27.1 completed credits, a 2.5 cumulative GPA and qualifying entrance courses.
More About the Curriculum +
Accounting Sequence:Study progresses through intermediate and advanced accounting, cost accounting, taxation and auditing.
Business Integration:Business Strategy connects earlier business coursework.
Entrance Courses:The accounting major requires specified business, mathematics and writing preparation.
ODU names degree completion as an entry route and publishes the minimum credit requirement at the university. Its accounting sequence extends from financial and managerial foundations into international and advanced reporting. If your earlier classes cover introductory accounting, ask how they position you for the remaining major courses and whether examination schedules fit your working hours.
Before you apply: The program is not designed for a specific state license. Compare your intended licensing requirements separately.
ASU’s Accountancy BS includes the systems used to produce and examine financial information, alongside reporting and taxation. Returning students should start with the business-skills admission checklist. Earlier economics, accounting, computing and mathematics can matter both for entry and for the degree plan, so review those courses before scheduling advanced accountancy study.
Before you apply: The degree excludes applicants who already hold the specified accountancy degrees, and its courses are not open to nondegree students.
Louisville draws a clear boundary around the accounting work you will finish at the university: its 400-level accounting courses stay in the Louisville plan. That helps returning students separate transferable foundations from the advanced sequence ahead. The program also incorporates tax databases and analytical tools, giving you concrete technology coursework to discuss during your evaluation.
Before you apply: The transfer ceiling does not waive the 400-level accounting requirement. Include those courses when comparing the remaining cost and time.
American Public University allocates a substantial part of the degree to accounting, including reporting standards, tax rules and professional ethics. Monthly starts offer flexibility when restarting study, but the course sequence still matters. Ask which previous accounting courses satisfy major requirements and which apply as electives before choosing your first term.
Before you apply: The degree is not designed for a particular state-issued professional license or certification.
For Accounting Analytics Alongside the Core Sequence
Park University
BSBA in Accounting
OnlineTransfer entry route
Park’s accounting plan includes data analytics and information systems alongside its intermediate accounting, tax and audit courses. The university-credit and major-credit requirements provide useful boundaries for a returning student. A transfer review should show where you enter the intermediate sequence and whether an optional internship, financial investigations course or another listed choice fits your remaining plan.
Before you apply: An internship is one of the listed course choices. Check the option you select and its prerequisites with an adviser.
For Accounting Study That Includes Fraud Examination
Columbia Southern University
BS in Accounting
OnlineTransfer entry route
Columbia Southern’s accounting curriculum brings fraud examination into a sequence that also covers reporting, audit and tax. That makes the remaining major worth reviewing course by course if you have an accounting associate degree or older business coursework. The published transfer maximum helps frame the discussion, while the actual evaluation determines which specialized accounting requirements remain.
Before you apply: Check the upper-level accounting requirements after the transfer review, especially when earlier courses were lower-division business electives.
Cincinnati identifies calculus as an admission requirement and offers a Pre-BBA route for prerequisite work. That gives returning students a practical starting point before the accounting major. The later curriculum includes controls, fraud risk, advanced reporting and a business strategy capstone, so compare your transcript against both the entrance requirements and that upper-level sequence.
Before you apply: Submit transcripts from every college attended. Ask which prerequisites must be finished before you can enter the BBA.
Where You Start
Applicants need calculus and a minimum 2.5 cumulative college GPA; an online Pre-BBA route provides prerequisite study.
More About the Curriculum +
Accounting Sequence:The major includes intermediate accounting, cost accounting, taxation and auditing.
Systems Coursework:Accounting Information Systems examines internal controls, fraud threats and technology.
Final Integration:A business strategy capstone uses cases and industry simulations.
BBA in Accounting, Public Accounting Concentration
OnlineTransfer entry route
EKU distinguishes the online Public Accounting concentration from its campus-based Management Accounting option. The online route covers preparation for work such as audit and tax, with seven-week courses and a published university-credit minimum. If you return with earlier accounting study, request the Public Accounting evaluation so the remaining courses match the format you intend to use.
Before you apply: The voluntary tax-assistance service activity is hosted on campus. It should not be treated as a required online component.
Eastern Oregon offers both a BA and a BS in accounting. Language or science coursework already on your transcript can help you compare those options while the accounting major supplies the professional focus. The online program uses quarter credits, so review credit conversion and the required EOU major coursework alongside the overall transfer allowance.
Before you apply: The accelerated plan changes the intended pace, not the total degree requirements. Ask for a schedule based on your evaluated credits.
Davenport includes an applied experience in its accounting degree and offers optional specialty areas such as fraud and management accounting. If you already work in finance or bookkeeping, discuss the field-experience requirement early rather than leaving it until your final term. The transfer review can then place prior coursework around the accounting sequence and your chosen specialty.
Before you apply: Ask how the field experience or internship is arranged for an online student and whether a proposed workplace assignment qualifies.
For Progress Based on Demonstrated Accounting Skills
Western Governors University
BS in Accounting
OnlineTransfer entry route
WGU lets you advance through accounting coursework by demonstrating the required competencies. That can change the study rhythm for someone returning with relevant knowledge, while the transcript evaluation separately determines transfer credit. Pay close attention to the intermediate accounting and systems prerequisites that lead into auditing when planning the final part of the degree.
Before you apply: Familiarity with bookkeeping does not automatically satisfy advanced accounting assessments. Plan study time around the actual remaining competencies.
Where You Start
Previous college transcripts are evaluated for applicable degree requirements.
More About the Curriculum +
Progress Model:Students progress by demonstrating the required competencies.
Audit Prerequisites:Auditing follows intermediate accounting, accounting information systems and business law.
Applied Study:A business simulation connects learning across the degree.
Oregon State offers an unofficial transcript evaluation through its business college, which makes it easier to examine the accounting plan before committing. The degree develops reporting analysis, audit design, tax and business valuation. Returning students should compare the upper-division requirement and final-credit residency rule with their older coursework, using the university’s quarter-credit system throughout.
Before you apply: Professional licensing requirements remain separate from the bachelor’s. Select any additional preparation around the rules for your intended credential.
Where You Start
Previous coursework is evaluated against degree requirements; an unofficial transcript evaluation is available through the business college.
More About the Curriculum +
Degree Total:At least 180 quarter credits, including 60 upper-division credits.
University Requirement:At least 45 of the final 75 credits must be completed through Oregon State.
Start Terms:The online degree offers four start terms.
LSUA gives returning accounting students three directions to compare after a transcript review. The general concentration keeps the focus broad, while the information systems and forensic options serve more specific interests. Have the accounting department show where your earlier business and accounting courses apply before selecting a concentration.
Before you apply: An accounting bachelor’s and CPA eligibility are separate decisions; check your intended state’s education requirements.
Where You Start
Submit official transcripts from every college for the university’s course evaluation.
Organize your previous college credits in the degree planner, then take your course list and questions to a school’s transfer advisor. The school’s evaluation determines which credits count toward your degree.
Where Do Your Transfer Credits Fit in the Accounting Sequence?
An intermediate accounting course may be more consequential to your schedule than several accepted electives. Franklin publishes a two-course intermediate sequence, while TESU requires intermediate accounting within its area of study. Ask the receiving school which prerequisite each earlier class satisfies.
Put the descriptions of your introductory accounting courses beside the receiving school’s intermediate requirements. Include the course level, topics covered, and any prerequisites shown in your old catalog. If “Accounting II” is the only information on the transcript, a syllabus gives the evaluator something more precise to compare. Ask which accounting course you can take next after the evaluation.
The final requirements reveal the kind of accounting judgment the program expects. UMGC includes an Advanced Accounting Capstone. Franklin’s research and analysis work involves examining standards and tax authorities, then explaining conclusions in writing and presentations.
Ask when the research or capstone course becomes available and which accounting classes must come first. Then consider the writing and revision involved alongside your job’s busy periods. If you already work with financial records, ask how course projects are selected and what material you’re permitted to use. That discussion concerns an academic assignment, not an automatic award of work-experience credit.
How Do Two-Year Transfer Limits Affect an Accounting Degree?
A published ceiling describes a maximum, not a promise about your major. CSU Global distinguishes 90 total transferable credits from 64 community-college credits. Franklin publishes a 124-credit degree and a 94-credit transfer ceiling. Those are different structures to compare.
An associate degree is a useful starting point for the conversation, but ask the university to show the accounting-major matches separately from the transferred general education. Keep a short list of unresolved courses and the documents needed for each review. Before choosing a start date, have the advisor identify the remaining intermediate, tax, auditing, and final-course requirements that apply to your selected degree.
Questions About Accounting Degree Completion Programs
Can Community-College Credits Apply to an Accounting Bachelor’s?+
Yes, these schools review prior college work. The result depends on course content, level and degree requirements. UMGC and CSU Global publish distinct limits for two-year coursework, so identify that source of credit in your comparison.
Does Accounting II Replace Intermediate Accounting?+
A similar title does not establish equivalence. Ask the institution to compare the syllabus with the specific intermediate course. TESU and Franklin identify intermediate accounting requirements that make this a useful early evaluation question.
Which Accounting Program Offers Fraud Examination Study?+
SNHU offers a Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination concentration within its Accounting BS. It includes fraudulent financial statements and legal and interviewing topics. Select that concentration before requesting the final degree plan.
Does Every Accounting Bachelor’s Require 120 Credits?+
Franklin’s Accounting BS requires 124 semester credits; SNHU’s Accounting BS uses a 120-credit total. Compare the evaluated courses you still need under each program’s requirements. A different degree total does not, by itself, tell you which program leaves less work.
What Should an Accounting Completion Plan Show Before I Enroll?+
Request an official accounting degree audit and a prerequisite sequence. Have the advisor identify where transferred classes fit, which advanced courses remain, and when the required capstone or research course can be taken.
Program details come from the schools’ own degree, admission, transfer, and tuition pages. Program selection follows the criteria stated above. Each school determines how your previous coursework applies.